Special Report: A chat with Linda Williams, Oregon president of Washington Trust Bank

Washington Trust Bank didn’t lease a full floor of the under-construction Park Avenue West just to get a new view. The Spokane-based bank needs space to accommodate its growth. The new space — the bank last week announced it will occupy the building’s entire 18th floor — will roughly double the size of Washington Trust’s local office to 15,000 square feet. The bank is on a commercial lending hot streak, with a 21 percent jump in the size of its portfolio in one year to $980 million. It’s hired three commercial bankers in Portland as part of the growth.